Judges appointed by John Carney
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This page lists judges appointed by John C. Carney Jr. (D) during his term as Governor of Delaware. As of today, the total number of Carney appointees was 13. For the full profile of Carney, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Delaware judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Carney.
Appointment process
In Delaware, the governor appoints judges through a judicial nominating commission. Appointees must be confirmed by the legislature before taking office.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Delaware Supreme Court |
December 5, 2019 - February 7, 2023 |
|
|
Delaware Supreme Court |
May 22, 2023 - Present |
|
|
Delaware Supreme Court |
May 11, 2023 - Present |
|
|
Delaware Supreme Court |
July 5, 2017 - Present |
|
|
Delaware Supreme Court Chief Justice |
November 8, 2019 - Present |
Other State Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Kent County Superior Court |
2021 - Present |
|
|
Kent County Superior Court |
June 1, 2017 - Present |
|
|
New Castle County Superior Court |
April 3, 2023 - Present |
|
|
New Castle County Superior Court |
February 5, 2021 - Present |
|
|
New Castle County Superior Court |
April 27, 2018 - Present |
|
|
New Castle County Superior Court |
||
|
Sussex County Superior Court |
February 2, 2021 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Delaware Family Court Sussex County |
October 13, 2021 - Present |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Delaware
| Judicial selection in Delaware | |
 | |
| Delaware Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 12 years |
| Superior Court of Delaware | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 12 years |
| Delaware Court of Chancery | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 12 years |
| Delaware Family Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 12 years |
| Delaware Court of Common Pleas | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 12 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Delaware, including:
- Delaware Supreme Court,
- Delaware Superior Court,
- Delaware Chancery Court, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, judges for all courts in the state except the Delaware Justice of the Peace Courts and the Delaware Alderman's Courts were selected through the assisted appointment method, where the governor selects a nominee from a list provided by a nominating commission. Judges of the Delaware Justice of the Peace Courts were selected through gubernatorial appointment, where the governor directly selects judges. Alderman's Court judges were appointed by the governing body of their municipality.
Delaware's constitution requires that there be an even partisan balance on each state court. For courts with an even number of judges, this means that no more than half of the seats on the court may be held by judges who are members of the same political party. For courts with an odd number of judges (including the state supreme court), this means that no more than a bare majority of seats on the court may be held by members of the same party. For example, a court with five seats could not have any more than three judges who are members of the same party.[2]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[3] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[4] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[5] | 1[6] | 17[7] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Delaware | ||
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 944,076 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 1,949 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 69.4% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 21.6% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3.6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.7% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 8.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 88.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 30% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $60,509 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Delaware. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Delaware
Delaware voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Delaware, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[8] As of May 2017, eight state House districts and five state Senate districts intersected with a Pivot County in Delaware. The state has one at-large congressional district.
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Delaware had one Boomerang Pivot County, 4.00% of all Boomerang Pivot Counties.
More Delaware coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Delaware
- United States congressional delegations from Delaware
- Public policy in Delaware
- Endorsers in Delaware
- Delaware fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Delaware; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
- ↑ The Delaware Code Online, "§ 3. Appointment of judges; terms of office; vacancies; political representation; confirmation of appointment.," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Delaware • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Delaware
State courts:
Delaware Supreme Court • Superior Court of Delaware • Delaware Court of Chancery • Delaware Family Court • Delaware Court of Common Pleas • Delaware Justice of the Peace Courts • Delaware Alderman's Courts
State resources:
Courts in Delaware • Delaware judicial elections • Judicial selection in Delaware
